ACD Hebrew Roots section

Study Guide for the “Olivet” Prophecies

By Brian Knowles

n the first section of this study guide, we focused attention on one of the three prophecies of Jesus that is embedded in the anthological grouping typically referred to as “the Olivet” prophecy: namely the 70 AD prophecy. This prophecy concerned the destruction by the Romans of the city of Jerusalem with its Temple. The verses pertaining to this prophecy are found in all three of the Synoptic Gospels (Luke, Mark and Matthew). The incident that sparked Jesus’ teaching cascade is found in Mark 12:41-44 and Luke 21:1-4. Before we turn our attention to the second of the three prophecies, we need to tie up some loose ends concerning the first.

            In commenting on the so-called “Olivet” prophecy, which we now understand to be three separate prophecies that have been anthologically melded together as one by the editors of the manuscripts, most commentators include Matthew 24:22 and Mark 13:20 as an “end time” prophecy. Notice Matthew’s wording: “And if those days had not been cut short, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.” Some have added the word “alive” after “saved” - as does Moffat, but the word “alive” is not in the text. Those who take these verses as end time prophecies believe that the whole of humanity would be wiped out were it not for the elect.

            If you study the related pericopes (literary units) you will see that the two verses mentioned above belong, not to the end time prophecy (Prophecy C) but to Prophecy A - the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. This is clear when the three accounts are viewed together in Throckmorton’s Gospel Parallels, p. 172. In giving this warning, Jesus had instructed his followers to “…flee to the mountains” (Matthew 24:16). The believers, whose numbers had grown considerably by 66 AD, did just that. They fled north to Pella. The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible (Volume III, p. 710) contains the following entry under the name “Pella,” “When the great revolt against the Romans broke out in A.D. 66, the Christian community of Jerusalem, being warned of the impending destruction of the city, removed to Pella; from that time on, it became an important center of the church…”

            Though the Romans slaughtered more than a million Jews in their attack on Jerusalem and “Palestine,” they stopped short of a complete genocide. Not only did the Jewish church survive, but many “regular” Jews survived as well. They were truly God’s elect. With all this in mind, we recommend that you restudy the verses pertaining to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 AD. They are as follows: Matthew 24:1-3; 15-22; 32-35; Luke 21:1-7; 20-24; 29 - 33; Mark 13:1-4; 14 - 20. Josephus’ account of the destruction of the city and its Temple is also recommended with qualifications. It should be pointed out that there are no fully reliable accounts of the war, including that of Josephus. Historian Paul Johnson writes of this reality, “The Great Revolt of 66 AD and the siege of Jerusalem constitute one of the most important and horrifying events in Jewish history. Unfortunately it is badly recorded. Tacitus left a long account of the war but only fragments survive. Rabbinic accounts are made up of anecdotes with no clear historical context, or of sheer fantasy. There is very little epigraphical [inscription] or archaeological evidence. Virtually our only authority for the war is Josephus, and he is tendentious, contradictory and thoroughly unreliable,” A History of the Jews, p. 137.                                                                        

Prophecy B

The second prophecy embedded in the erroneously named Olivet suite concerns the fate of the apostles themselves. It describes events that take place after Jesus is taken up into heaven. Chronologically, this prophecy pertains to the next important event - the immediate future of the church and the destiny of the apostles - that is why we have designated it “Prophecy B.”

            In Dr. Lindsey’s reconstruction he makes it clear that we don’t know when this prophecy was given (he calls it “Prophecy C” but for the purposes of chronological fulfillment, I have designated it “B”). Writes Lindsey, “…we are not told explicitly where Prophecy C [my B] or the other sayings of Jesus I have mentioned were given. A good guess seems to be that they were said by Jesus after his resurrection during the forty days.

            “This would explain, for example, why the Holy Spirit is mentioned so prominently in just these sayings,” Jesus Rabbi & Lord, p. 178. Jesus knew that he had rise to the Father. He would therefore have to guide the disciples by the Holy Spirit, rather than by being personally present with them.

            Lindsey says that this prophecy also explains why Jesus now emphasizes the persecutions the apostles would encounter. “Jesus warns that even ‘some of you they will put to death’ (the promise that ‘not a hair of your head will perish’ (Luke 21:18) must be related to those who were warned to flee when Jerusalem was about to be destroyed),” (Lindsey, p. 178).

            Rather than regurgitate all of Lindsey’s material on this prophecy about the future of the apostles, we’ll suggest that the reader put together the following verses to get the picture: Luke 21:12-19; Matthew 24:9-14 & Mark 13:9-13a. Taken together, these verses provide a picture of the fate of Jesus’ original Jewish apostles. Most, if not all, were martyred. For those who wish to research further into the lives of Jesus’ first apostles, the book The 12 by Edgar J. Goodspeed is recommended.

            Note: The verses listed above do not apply to the 70 AD prophecy, nor do they apply to the end time prophecy. They are already fulfilled in the apostles. For additional material on this, please refer to Dr. Lindsey’s book - Jesus Rabbi & Lord -- now available on the web.

            In the final article of this series we will examine the third prophecy of the “Olivet” series which applies to the end time.